NEW YORK (Reuters) – Simon Cowell said on Monday he would return to U.S. television as a judge on his upcoming "The X Factor" talent show -- where the winner will get a history-making $5 million dollar prize.Cowell said he would be appearing as a judge on the U.S. version of the show when it…

STARKVILLE, Miss. – Mississippi State's Ravern Johnson has been suspended for Saturday's game against LSU because of "inappropriate tweets" sent following the team's 75-61 loss to Alabama on Wednesday.The suspension was announced Friday in a statement released by the university. Johnson, a 6-foot-7 senior, is averaging 17.7 points per game.Johnson was critical of his role…

TAMPA, Fla. – Vincent Lecavalier had a power-play goal at 4:53 in overtime, Steven Stamkos scored his NHL-leading 40th goal and the Tampa Bay Lightning beat the St. Louis Blues 4-3 on Sunday.St. Louis defenseman Eric Brewer was called for a holding penalty 3:40 into the extra session, and Lecavalier converted a rebound backhander for…

(Corrects lead and quotation to reflect Dacoury-Tabley resigned)BAMAKO (Reuters) - The governor of the West African regional central bank has resigned, according to a declaration from the regional heads of state following a summit to discuss the crisis in Ivory Coast."The conference has taken note of the resignation of Mr Philippe Henri Dacoury-Tabley from his…

JUNEAU, Alaska – Alaska's attorney general is granting state officials' request for an extension until May 31 to release potentially thousands of e-mails that Sarah Palin sent and received while she was governor.But John Burns says this comes with the "unequivocal expectation" that all records that aren't privileged will be released by then. Already, public…

CHEVY CHASE, Md., Jan. 25, 2011 – CHEVY CHASE, Md., Jan. 25, 2011 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- First Lady Michelle Obama invited 4-H to participate at the National Mentoring Summit in Washington, D.C., today and showcase its successful mentoring programs. 4-H'er Jose Cazares and his mentor and 4-H program director Octaviano Merecias-Cuevas from Portland, Oregon, attended the…

WASHINGTON, DC – In his State of the Union Tuesday night, President Obama emphasized the mantra that will likelydefine his next two years in office: create jobs, reduce the deficit,and make America more competitive. To accomplish these goals, Obamaproposed a slew of solutions that include freezing domestic spending for fiveyears, simplifying the individual and corporate…

NEW YORK – By singing in notoriously misogynistic Eminem’s song about domestic violence, the inscrutable Rihanna has caused a controversy. But this might be as cathartic as Rihanna gets.There are a few things that puzzle the casual observer watching the video for "I Love the Way You Lie," Eminem's song about domestic violence featuring Rihanna—which,…

ISLAMABAD (Reuters) – A British-Pakistani journalist abducted by suspected Islamist militants in Pakistan's ethnic Pashtun tribal areas in March, has been freed, the British High Commission said Thursday.Asad Qureshi was abducted in March along with two former Pakistani intelligence officers when they were visiting the lawless region bordering Afghanistan while working on a documentary on…

CARDIFF (AFP) – Stuart Broad said on Monday that he had no sympathy for the Pakistan players engulfed in a 'spot-fixing' row that has sent shockwaves through the world of cricket.Pakistan Test captain Salman Butt and bowlers Mohammad Aamer and Mohammad Asif have been suspended from the international game after Britain's News of the World…